--- title: "CPT_25_02 Financial Audit and Assurance Services Contract" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-058956" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-058956" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-058956.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-058956.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE" published: "2026-02-28" --- # CPT_25_02 Financial Audit and Assurance Services Contract Buyer: NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-058956 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-058956) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-058956.json) ## Summary The National Audit Office (NAO) has issued contracts for Financial Audit and Assurance Services, structured across 14 distinct lots, with an estimated total value reaching up to £68.205 million inclusive of VAT. Situated in London, UK, the NAO, a central government public authority, aims to award contracts to experienced partner firms that demonstrate proficiency in delivering internationally recognised auditing standards, specifically compliant with ISA. The process involved an open procurement method, with the award phase completed on 28 February 2026, transitioning services to commence from 1 September 2026 through to 31 August 2029, allowing a possibility for extension until 31 August 2031. The tender underlined its focus on supporting high-quality audit delivery within the public sector, with final procurement primarily categorised under accounting and auditing services. This tender represents a lucrative opportunity for large-scale audit firms keen to amplify their public sector portfolio. Firms such as KPMG LLP, Deloitte LLP, and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP have been identified as successful bidders across various lots, empowering them to enrich their experience and expand their operations in areas such as pensions, charities, and infrastructure. The lot-based structure affords businesses flexibility to bid for a maximum of eight lots, enabling optimal resource allocation and strategic growth. Open to bids until 10 November 2025, the procurement encourages substantial business engagements, fostering robust partnerships and propelling firms towards heightened visibility and accountability in financial reporting and management. ## Notice The National Audit Office (NAO) is the UK's independent public spending watchdog. The NAO supports Parliament in holding government to account and helps improve public services through its high-quality audits. The NAO reprocured the Financial Audit and Assurance Services to support the high-quality delivery our portfolio of financial audits within the public sector. Financial Audit and Assurance Services Contract NAO sought to continue working in partnership with supplier firms to deliver high quality audits, which support effective accountability and lead to better financial reporting and financial management by public bodies. NAO plan to contract out a series of audit engagements through a lot based structure. The Financial Audit and Assurance Services Contract will also include provision for the opportunity to procure additional financial audit related services throughout the lifetime of the contract. For audit engagements under the contract, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) will retain overall responsibility for signing the audit opinion and the NAO will work with supplier firms to ensure audit and assurance services are carried out in line with the relevant standards and quality expectations. Audits will need to be carried out to internationally recognised auditing standards but also adapted to the public sector reporting framework, which includes the Government Financial Reporting Manual, and checking that transactions have been applied to the purposes intended by Parliament and conform to the authorities which govern them ('regularity'). The National Audit Office (NAO) will be awarding Financial Audit and Assurance Services contracts across a number of lots. Under the Financial Audit and Assurance Services contract Partner Firms will deliver audit services for a defined portfolio of audited entities. The contracts will be awarded to experienced Partner Firms who have a proven record of delivering ISA (International Standards on Auditing) compliant audits. The new Financial Audit and Assurance Services contract will cover the provision of audit services from the 2026-27 audit cycle (year ended 31 March 2027 (unless specified otherwise)). The Financial Audit and Assurance Services Contract will initially cover 3 audit cycles from 2026-27 to 2028-29 with the option to extend for a further 2 audit cycles up to 2030-31. All audits within the lots have a 31 March year end, unless specified otherwise. NAO sought Partner Firms to provide audit services under the following 14 lots: * Lot 1 Crown Estate * Lot 2 Northern Ireland * Lot 3 Complex Provisions * Lot 4 National Savings & Investments * Lot 5 Defra (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) Entities * Lot 6 Health * Lot 7 Pensions * Lot 8 Charities 1 * Lot 9 Charities 2 * Lot 10 Charities 3 * Lot 11 Infrastructure * Lot 12 Debt Management * Lot 13 Ministry of Justice (MOJ) Entities * Lot 14 United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF) Interested suppliers were able to submit a bid for the lots of their choice (maximum of 8 lots). This means if a single supplier bids for the maximum 8 lots and is the preferred supplier based on the award and price evaluation on all 8 lots; they would be awarded all 8 lots that they have bid for. However suppliers were not be permitted to submit bids for more than 8 lots. The new contract will run for an initial period of 3 years from Tuesday 1st September 2026 until Friday 31st August 2029 with the option to further extend for a period of up to 2 years (by 2 periods of 12 months) until Sunday 31st August 2031 with the estimated overall value of the contract being up to PS68,205m inclusive of VAT (PS13,641m per annum). No guarantee is given as to the actual value of the contract. This figure includes an element of contingency and assumptions over additional services that may be procured in addition to contracted-out audit engagements as set out in Appendix A - Statement of Requirement. ### Lot Information Crown Estate We are seeking to award a contract to a Partner Firm who will be expected to deliver audit services to the Crown Estate. The estimated value for this lot will be up to PS2.145m inclusive of VAT Renewal: There will be an option to further extend for a period of up to 2 years (by 2 periods of 12 months) until Sunday 31st August 2031 Northern Ireland We are seeking to award a contract to a Partner Firm who will be expected to deliver audit services to Northern Ireland The estimated value for this lot will be up to PS3.627m inclusive of VAT Renewal: There will be an option to further extend for a period of up to 2 years (by 2 periods of 12 months) until Sunday 31st August 2031 Complex Provisions We are seeking to award a contract to a Partner Firm who will be expected to deliver audit services to Complex Provisions The estimated value for this lot will be up to PS5.5m inclusive of VAT Renewal: There will be an option to further extend for a period of up to 2 years (by 2 periods of 12 months) until Sunday 31st August 2031 National Savings & Investments We are seeking to award a contract to a Partner Firm who will be expected to deliver audit services to National Savings & Investments. The estimated value for this lot will be up to PS4.602m inclusive of VAT Renewal: There will be an option to further extend for a period of up to 2 years (by 2 periods of 12 months) until Sunday 31st August 2031 Defra Entities We are seeking to award a contract to a Partner Firm who will be expected to deliver audit services to Defra (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) Entities The estimated value for this lot will be up to PS3.510m inclusive of VAT Renewal: There will be an option to further extend for a period of up to 2 years (by 2 periods of 12 months) until Sunday 31st August 2031 Health We are seeking to award a contract to a Partner Firm who will be expected to deliver audit services to Health The estimated value for this lot will be up to up to PS5.538m inclusive of VAT Renewal: There will be an option to further extend for a period of up to 2 years (by 2 periods of 12 months) until Sunday 31st August 2031 Pensions We are seeking to award a contract to a Partner Firm who will be expected to deliver audit services to Pensions. The estimated value for this lot will be up to up to PS10.881m inclusive of VAT Renewal: There will be an option to further extend for a period of up to 2 years (by 2 periods of 12 months) until Sunday 31st August 2031 Charities 1 We are seeking to award a contract to a Partner Firm who will be expected to deliver audit services to Charities 1 The estimated value for this lot will be up to up to PS3.198m inclusive of VAT Renewal: There will be an option to further extend for a period of up to 2 years (by 2 periods of 12 months) until Sunday 31st August 2031 Charities 2 We are seeking to award a contract to a Partner Firm who will be expected to deliver audit services to Charities 2 The estimated value for this lot will be up to up to PS3.042m inclusive of VAT Lot 9 Charities 2 Renewal: There will be an option to further extend for a period of up to 2 years (by 2 periods of 12 months) until Sunday 31st August 2031 Charities 3 We are seeking to award a contract to a Partner Firm who will be expected to deliver audit services to Charities 3 The estimated value for this lot will be up to up to PS2.106m inclusive of VAT Renewal: There will be an option to further extend for a period of up to 2 years (by 2 periods of 12 months) until Sunday 31st August 2031 Infrastructure We are seeking to award a contract to a Partner Firm who will be expected to deliver audit services to Infrastructure The estimated value for this lot will be up to up to PS5.577m inclusive of VAT Renewal: There will be an option to further extend for a period of up to 2 years (by 2 periods of 12 months) until Sunday 31st August 2031 Debt Management We are seeking to award a contract to a Partner Firm who will be expected to deliver audit services to Debt Management The estimated value for this lot will be up to up to PS5.109m inclusive of VAT Renewal: There will be an option to further extend for a period of up to 2 years (by 2 periods of 12 months) until Sunday 31st August 2031 Ministry of Justice (MOJ) Entities We are seeking to award a contract to a Partner Firm who will be expected to deliver audit services to Ministry of Justice (MOJ) Entities. The estimated value for this lot will be up to up to PS3.744m inclusive of VAT Renewal: There will be an option to further extend for a period of up to 2 years (by 2 periods of 12 months) until Sunday 31st August 2031 United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF) We are seeking to award a contract to a Partner Firm who will be expected to deliver audit services to United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF) The estimated value for this lot will be up to up to PS7.488m inclusive of VAT Renewal: There will be an option to further extend for a period of up to 2 years (by 2 periods of 12 months) until Sunday 31st August 2031 ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/018180-2026 | | Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Large | | All stages | Tender, Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 28 Feb 2026 | | Submission deadline | 10 Nov 2025 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | 25 Feb 2026 | | Contract period | 31 Aug 2026 - 31 Aug 2029 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £55,055,833 | | Lots value | £55,055,833 | | Awards value | £56,837,795 | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Complete | | Lots status | Complete | | Awards status | Pending | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | South West London | | Postcode | SW1W 9SP | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West | | ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London | | Local authority | Westminster | | Electoral ward | Pimlico North | | Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 6 | | Supplier names | DELOITTE; ERNST & YOUNG; FORVIS MAZARS; GRANT THORNTON; KPMG; PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 79210000 - Accounting and auditing services ## Release History - 28 Feb 2026 at 22:05 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/018180-2026 - 15 Aug 2025 at 18:50 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049301-2025 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/018180-2026 28th February 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049301-2025 15th August 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - http://KPMG.CO.UK - http://www.grantthornton.co.uk - http://www.pwc.co.uk - https://login.bipsolutions.com/casDelta/login?service=https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/j_spring_cas_security_check - https://www.azets.com/en-uk - https://www.deloitte.com/uk/en.html - https://www.ey.com/en_uk - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search - https://www.forvismazars.com/group/en - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-058956. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-058956.json.